﻿Thomas﻿ the Roaster

Southern Girl Coffee started in a back yard in a homemade 5 lb. coffee roaster as a hobby. Leah, Bobby, and Pawpaw (Leah's Grandfather) spent many nights sitting around their homemade roaster, perfecting the art of coffee roasting. This hobby quickly grew into a passion to deliver the perfect batch of coffee every time. To help achieve this Leah purchased a custom made Guatemalan roaster. The 25 kg batch coffee roaster, that was custom-built in Guatemala in 2004, is a Probat clone made by Logos Mechanicos, a third-generation roaster builder.

The Art of Coffee

According to the National Coffee Association, a green bean has none of the characteristics of a roasted bean. It is soft and spongy to the bite and smells green, almost 'grassy.' Roasting causes numerous chemical changes to take place as the beans are rapidly brought to very high temperatures. When they reach the peak of perfection, they are quickly cooled to stop the process. Roasted beans smell like coffee, and weigh less because the moisture has been roasted out. They are crunchy to the bite, ready to be ground and brewed. Coffee r﻿oasting is ﻿a form of art and is very technical. Seconds matter when it comes to roasting coffee. A split second can mean having a perfectly roasted batch of coffee and an over roasted or under roasted batch of coffee.

Getting a bag of f﻿reshly roas﻿ted coffee is sure to perk up your cup, but there's a lot more to getting that perfect cu﻿p than﻿ just roasting. ﻿Read ﻿﻿on to lear﻿n more about the history of the coffee bean, the different types of grinds, brew tips, an﻿d brewing guides.﻿﻿

The Truth behind the Bean

Coffee was said to be first discovered by an Ethiopian goat-herder, Kaldi. As the legend goes, Kaldi first discovered coffee after noticing that his goats were restless after consuming the fruit from an unknown tree (a coffee tree). Kaldi reported his findings to abbot of the local monastery who made a drink with the berries. The abbot noticed that after consuming the drinks from the berries he was able to stay alert during his evening prayers. The abbot shared his knowledge with others and word began to spread. Today coffee is grown in a multitude of countries around the world. We source our coffee from Costa Rica, Colombia, Indonesia, and Mexico.

﻿What Grind is the Right Grind?﻿

﻿The correct coarseness or fineness of your ground coffee all depends on what type of brewing method you are going to use. When brewing coffee and the coffee is too coarse, you will under-extract the coffee and will produce a weak cup of coffee. Four indicat﻿ors tha﻿t you hav﻿e under-extracted yo﻿ur coffee: sour, salty , lacks sweetness, and quick finish. When you brew coffee that is too fine, you will over-extract and will produce a bitter and dry cup. Below is a list of 6 different grind levels:

﻿Brewing Tips & Bean Storage ﻿

Freshness is KeyDrinking the coffee fresh is the first key to a delicious cup of coffee. Whole bean coffee can last for up to a month if stored properly. Fresh ground coffee can last for up to two weeks if stored properly.

Proper StorageProper Bean Storage is another key to that delicious cup. When storing coffee beans you must think of its enemies: Air, Light, Moisture, and Heat. For optimal flavor, it is best to store coffee in an airtight container, in a cool dark location (cabinet/cupboard).

Coffee to Water RatioWhen brewing coffee we use a 1:16 ratio. Multiply your target yield by 16. For example: if you have 38 grams of ground coffee you need 608 grams of water. It is best to use a gram scale when measuring out your coffee. If no scale is handy, use two tablespoons of fresh ground coffee for every six fluid ounces of water.

Water, Water, WaterWhen brewing coffee always use good quality water. Fresh brewed coffee is 99% water. If you wouldn't drink it over ice, don't use it to brew coffee. Water temperature is another key when brewing proper coffee. Use water that is between 195°F - 205°F to achieve the best extraction. If the water is too cold the coffee will brew flat and sour. On the other hand if the water is too hot the coffee will brew bitter and harsh.